Wednesday, November 16, 2016

MB12: Robin Meets Man-Bat Power Record

Robin Meets Man-Bat (1976)

cover: Neal Adams & Dick Giordano (?)

writer: ? (reprint material written by Frank Robbins)

penciller: Neal Adams

inker: Dick Giordano

record producer: Arthur Korb

Synopsis:

At a bank, three robbers open up the vault to find Batman and Robin waiting for them. Batman And Robin dive into the men, but one of them pulls out a sonic disruptor. The sounds bring the heroes to their knees, at the mercy of the thieves.

Suddenly, Man-Bat flies into the bank, picking one of the men up and throwing him into the others. Without a word, Man-Bat flies out.

Robin is taken aback by this man-monster, and is surprised to learn that Batman knows who he is. Batman then tells Robin (and us) the story of bat expert Kirk Langstrom.

We learn that Kirk created a serum in the hope that it would give Batman additional bat-related super-powers. However, in lieu of any other living thing to try the serum out on, Kirk tries it out on himself. He soon learns that his serum succeeded too well, as he gains acute super-hearing and "night vision," but eyes that are sensitive to light. Then when he catches his reflection in a mirror, he realizes that he has turned into a Man-Bat. Disheartened, Kirk returns to his lab to start work on an antidote.

The next night, thieves arrive at the museum, followed closely by Batman. They jump the Caped Crusader, but Man-Bat joins the fray and together they are able to capture them.

Batman then tells Robin how Kirk then became more irrational, eventually making his wife, Francine take the serum to "prove" her love for him.

Suddenly, Man-Bat is back, grabbing Batman as he raves about how Batman had "taken" Man-Bat. Robin moves quickly, tossing some sneezing powder into Man-Bat's face so that Batman can break free from his grasp. Before the Caped Crusaders can do anything else, a second Man-Bat flies onto the scene and they fight in-flight.

Batman lassoes them both and pulls them down to the ground. One of them is holding two hypodermic needles, and Batman guesses what is going on. He injects both Man-Bats; moments later, Kirk and Francine are returned to normal.

Francine admits that she was missing Kirk, who was out of town on business. She was so upset, she accidentally drank the bat serum, turning herself into a crazed "She-Bat." When Kirk returned, he realized what had happened and went after her.

At last, Batman introduces Robin to the Langstroms....

Commentary:
This was a special Power Records comic story produced in cooperation with DC Comics (then National Periodical Publications) in 1976. It is the second Batman-centric story, but the only one I ever bought. All I needed to see was a Neal Adams Man-Bat on the cover and I was sold! (Now, if any of the other stories had featured Aquaman or the Super Friends, I would have bought those, too....!)

The plot is a good one, as Robin stands in for anyone who may not know who Man-Bat is. Man-Bat's story is the classic Good vs Evil, Jekyll vs Hyde story, well done here through copious reprinting of his debut from Detective Comics #400. The framing sequence and various bridges of the original story are by the same creative team, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, so it reads (and listens) quite seamlessly. Then we get a switch on the original three-part Man-Bat story, as this Man-Bat isn't who we think it is.

The lesson we learn is that when Francine takes the bat serum, she can't control it, but when Kirk takes it, he's fine. Seems like a good set-up for an ongoing Man-Bat series to me....!

It was never established if this adventure was part of continuity or not. Robin never "met" Man-Bat in any specific way in an actual DC comic. The first time that they shared an official, canonical story is in Batman Family #13. That story reads as if they already knew each other, however.

As for the record itself, I have no idea how DC decided to make and market these things, but with similar Power Records featuring Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Werewolf, and the Man-Thing in the series, I'm guessing Power Records was trying to entice those kids who had an interest in horror. Like I said earlier, it worked for me! I bought this when it came out in 1976 and never parted with it. I still have the 45 rpm record sitting in the sleeve.

Producer credit on the 45 lists Arthur Korb. A cursory search on the internet finds an Arthur Korb who was a song-writer in the Forties. There is also an IMDb mention of having worked on the sound-track of Pinocchio In Outer Space (1965).

You can find a recording of the show on various places around the internet, but I prefer the site run by my buddy Rob Kelly, which you can find here: The Power Records Blog
You can find the entire story reprinted there, as well as the audio track. Enjoy!

In the meantime, here is a panel by panel comparison of the originals, Detective Comics #s 400 and 407, and this Power Records version.

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Records

Detective Comics #400

Power Record

Detective Comics #407

Power Records

Detective Comics #407

Man-Bat Trivia Notes:

Isn't Batman and Robin hiding in a bank vault sort of like entrapment?

The Black-Out Gang ping-pong ball sequence from Detective Comics #400 has been cut.

Francine as "She-Bat" is drawn in shadow, but she still appears more male than female. (This is my delicate way of saying that she isn't drawn with feminine breasts.)

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